Memory Hole
by LexieBird
Summary: Rose and the Doctor wake up on the TARDIS floor with matching headaches and matching memory holes, and a recorded message for the pair of them.


Rose and the Doctor awoke on the TARDIS floor with sore heads and groggy thoughts. Rose stretched and wiggled, then yawned loudly.  
"Rose, odd question… but do you remember falling asleep?" The Doctor asked, sitting up and rubbing his head.  
"Yeah, I- No. No, actually." She said, frowning. "What- what is that?" She asked, pointing to a silver dish that was sitting in between them.  
"Well, looks like some kind of message recorder…" Something on the dish bleeped, and a blue holographic version of the Doctor and Rose flickered into existence. They were standing close, holding hands, giggling and leaning into each other - standard behaviour, for them. But something between them seemed different, somehow.  
"Hello, us." Holographic Doctor said. "By now, you've probably realised that you've got a gaping memory hole!" He said brightly, and the real Doctor and Rose glanced at each other. "Don't worry about it though, we bumped into future me-"  
"He's almost as good looking as this you," Holograph Rose said, bumping her Doctor, who grinned down at her.  
"Yeah, well, no need to worry. He just let slip-"  
"And when he says 'let slip' he means that he," she pointed at the Doctor beside her, "begged him for information-"  
"_let slip_ a bit too much about our futures."  
"So he wiped our memories." Holograph Rose explained.  
"With our grudging consent, eventually." The Doctor added. The real Rose looked at the Doctor.  
"You wiped our memories?"  
"Apparently so," he said with a shrug.  
"_Any_way," Holographic Doctor continued, "point is, don't panic and scour the universe trying to figure out what you forgot. It'll come to pass," he said, and he looked so sad in that moment that it made the real Rose tremble. Holographic Rose squeezed his hand, then pulled him into a hug. As she pulled back, the Doctor leaned in and gave her a kiss, which Holographic Rose accepted easily, wrapping both hands around his neck.  
"Love you," she breathed as they pulled apart.  
"Love you too," the Holograph Doctor said, and the holograph flickered off.

The real Doctor and Rose stared at each other, wide-eyed, for a good thirty seconds. Eventually Rose spoke.  
"Gotta be- it's a trick, yeah?  
"'Course! I mean, there- is there a replay?" He asked, fiddling with the dish. Roe and the Doctor's holograms flicked back on, and the real Rose and Doctor stared at it intently.  
"I suppose you tried to find the replay button, then," Hologram Doctor said.  
"Told you that end bit was too much. We've freaked us out!" Holographic Rose exclaimed. "We've gone from denying that there's even a relationship, to watching us declare our love for each other," Holograph Doctor sighed.  
"I can't speak for you," he pointed at Holographic Rose, "but _me_ - stop denying it. Yeah, Timelords don't want that - but obviously I do. So shut up and kiss her. You won't regret it," the real Doctor looked at Rose, shocked.  
"Yeah, it's not like I'm going to say _no_," Holograph Rose said, then laughed. "Can you image how awkward this is going to be?"  
"I know!" Holograph Doctor replied. "Tell you what, me, here's a tip - kisses make things less awkward. Always. Weeeell, not always, but certainly in this situation."  
"Um," the real Doctor managed, staring at Rose.  
"Or," Holographic Rose said suddenly, "if he won't do it, _I_ could always kiss him," The real Rose's eyes widened.  
"I won't mind, at all," Holograph Doctor added, and Holographic Rose leaned up and gave him a kiss. "See?" He said. They smiled at each other blissfully, then the holograph vanished again.

"Um," the Doctor said, still sitting on the floor of the TARDIS.  
"Yeah," Rose laughed shakily. The Doctor moved and sat leaning against the base of the console, and Rose shuffled over to join him. They linked hands, and Rose lifted their hands up, staring at their fingers absently.  
"We'll work through this, right?" Rose asked. The Doctor looked over to her, surprised.  
"'Course we will," he said.  
"Good," Rose said, relieved, "I thought it might be…"  
"A bit much for me? If past me can take it, so can I," he said confidently, then leaned his head back against the console, closing his eyes. When he reopened them a few seconds later, Rose's face was centimetres from his. Her eyes went wide from being caught, but she didn't pull away.  
"Rose, were you going to kiss me?" The Doctor asked, his voice shooting up a few octaves.  
"Ah, no. Nope, no," she pulled back.  
"Oh." The Doctor said, borderline disappointed. "Did you want to kiss me?"  
"Wha- ah, no," Rose said.  
"Oh." He paused. "Do you want me to kiss you?" Before Rose could reply, he leaned in toward her. "Because, um- I think, I think that I-" He swallowed thickly. "I think that I should follow my own advice," he admitted. "After all, I am brilliant." He whispered, then closed the final gap between them, pressing his lips to hers, kissing her gently.  
"I 'spose you are brilliant." Rose whispered when they broke apart, their foreheads still touching.  
"Mm. I am." He agreed.  
"I love you," Rose whispered, closing her eyes.  
"And I, Rose Tyler, I-" he broke off, then tried again, "I mean, I lo-" he took a deep breath, "I-"  
"I know," she whispered, quietening him, "I know."

* * *

_Because until the Doctor looses her, I doubt he even admitted it to himself. So, 'Holograph Doctor' could say it 'cause he had Eleven's (or Twelve's or Thirteen's, I suppose) memories of loosing her, twice. Real Doctor couldn't. Yay for Ten/Rose gooeyness._


End file.
